In a powerful speech to his supporters in Chicago which has been beamed across the world, US president-elect Barack Obama has said that his victory at the polls "is not the change, but the opportunity to make that change."

With Barack Obama and John McCain joining battle for the November US presidential elections, a leading evangelical Christian figure organised a candidates forum refreshingly free of rancour, say observers.

US presidential candidates locked in often bitter struggles for their party nominations have been urged not to make religious capital out of politics and political capital out of religion as the campaign trail hots up.

A Jewish and a Christian leader in the United States have issued a joint statement to media and government calling for civility and honesty in public discourse - following what they describe as "recent political attacks using unattributed sources and based on a [presidential] candidate's childhood."